Stoke book chat - December
We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5:30pm at Stoke library. All welcome.
Our next meeting is February 18th 2026.
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Set in the1500s and the present day. It is about a young courtesan who is writing plays and selling them to Shakespeare. In present-day time, Melinda, who has written a play, decides to submit it under male's name. Our reader thought it was a little drawn out and was looking forward to discovering how it turns out.
The Dictionary of Lost words by Pip Williams
In 1901, the word 'Bondmaid' was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the 'Scriptorium', a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word 'bondmaid' flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend. (form the cover) Our reader loved the characters – Lizzie was possibly her favourite character, and Esme’s husband was so nice!
Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent
When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary, it puzzles the team of lexicographers working there. It soon becomes clear that this is not the usual eccentric enquiry. The letter hints at secrets, lies, and a particular year. For Martha Thornhill, the new Senior Editor, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant, beautiful older sister Charlie went missing. After a decade spent living abroad, Martha has returned to her father, her home, and the city whose institutions have defined her family. But the ghosts she had thought to be at rest seem to have been waiting for her to return. When more letters arrive and the team pull apart the clues within them, the questions become more insistent and troubling.(From: Nelson Public Library catalogue).
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child – not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long – and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything. So Circe sets forth her tale, a vivid, mesmerizing epic of family rivalry, love and loss – the defiant, inextinguishable song of woman burning hot and bright through the darkness of a man's world. (From: Nelson Public Library catalogue). Our reader thought it was a beautiful ‘origin’ story, and a good read.
Confessions by Catherine Airey
Catherine’s Airey’s debut novel, Confessions spans two generations and two continents. " It is late September in 2001 and the walls of New York are papered over with photos of the missing. Cora Brady's father is there, the poster she made taped to columns and bridges. Her mother died long ago and now, orphaned on the cusp of adulthood, Cora is adrift and alone. Soon, a letter will arrive with the offer of a new life- far out on the ragged edge of Ireland, in the town where her parents were young, an estranged aunt can provide a home and fulfil a long-forgotten promise. There the story of Cora's family is hidden, and in her presence will begin to unspool..."--Publisher.
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama XIV
Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama move beyond religious and national identity to talk about joy. Nobel Peace Prize laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile, violence and oppression. Despite their hardships - or, as they would say, because of them - they are two of the most joyful people on the planet. In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu travelled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create this book as a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: how do we find happiness in the face of life's inevitable suffering? By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, they had stared into the despair of our times, and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy. (From: Nelson Public Library catalogue).
Our reader also enjoyed the Youtube video of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s meeting.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
E-Audio book. WINNER WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2019. Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. (From: Nelson Public Library catalogue). Our reader loved this – fascinating and engaging.
The Teacher of Auschwitz: Based on the inspiring true story of Fredy Hirsch by Wendy Holden.
This is the story of a Jewish educator who died in Auschwitz at 28 years of age: Freddy Hirsch. Against the odds Freddy tried to save the children of the camp – in the very worst of circumstances he showed compassion and kindness – sharing poetry, trying to keep the children fed, and even teaching them meditation. A very poignant read. Our reader cried a lot!
Raising Hare : the heart-warming true story of an unlikely friendship by Chloe Dalton
A true story! During Covid restrictions, Chloe found a baby hare while walking around her property. She took the hare home, but she didn’t want to tame this essentially wild animal. The book recounts her adventures with the hare and also tells us about her own growth.
What happens when a seven-year-old sets out to walk the length of Aotearoa New Zealand with her mum? An unforgettable adventure begins – one filled with mud, magic, and moments of true courage. Emilie Walks Te Araroa is a true story about young explorer Emilie Bruce, who completed the 3,000-kilometre Te Araroa Trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff over six months. (From the publisher.) Written from seven-year-old- Emilie's point of view. Emilie’s mother also wrote of their adventure together - Adventures with Emilie: taking on Te Araroa trail in 138 life-changing days by Victoria Bruce
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
This short novel is about a prisoner’s day in a Soviet labour camp in the 1950s. The Wikipedia article about the book states that its original publication in a magazine was extraordinary, as it was the first time an account of Stalinist repression had been openly distributed in the Soviet Union. Our reader enjoyed the delightful passage about playing soccer.
Dear Bill Bryson: Footnotes from a Small Island by Ben Aitken
In 2013, travel writer Ben Aitken decided to follow in the footsteps of his hero - literally - and started a journey around the UK, tracing the trip taken by Bill Bryson in his classic tribute to the British Isles, Notes from a Small Island. (From the publisher). An interesting read – enjoyed the UK locations & characters he meets with.
Bogan Book Club by James Larkin
"James Larwood's life is perfect - until a single mistake sees him lose everything. When James is released from prison, he is penniless and potentially homeless. Enter James' tradie brother, Larry, who employs him as a cleaner and starts a factory Book Club to try and get his brother back on his feet. James expects to be lumped with a bunch of uneducated bogans and westies but comes to realise that this group of misfits are some of the warmest, funniest and most intelligent humans he has ever met. Can James claw back the life he once had?"--Provided by publisher. Our reader loved this and highly recommends it to others.
The Owl Service by Alan Garner
Three young people spend the summer in a Welsh valley haunted by mythical spirits and find themselves re-enacting an old tragedy.
Bill Bryson recounts his escapades in Australia.
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
An award-winning best-seller from the UK recounts how the author, an experienced falconer grieving the sudden death of her father, endeavoured to train for the first time a dangerous goshawk predator as part of her personal recovery. (From Nelson Public Library Catalogue).
